Water summit: Gov. Brown meeting with leaders over drought

Jan. 30, 2014

Updated 3:15 p.m.

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Hugh Beggs of Santa Rosa searches for coins in the middle of the Russian River in Healdsburg, taking advantage of the way-below-normal river flow. Seventeen rural communities are in danger of running out of water within four months, according to a list compiled by state officials. Wells are running dry or reservoirs are nearly empty in some communities. Others have long-running problems that predate the drought. The communities range from the area covered by the tiny Lompico County Water District in Santa Cruz County to the cities of Healdsburg and Cloverdale in Sonoma County. FILE: KENT PORTER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Gov. Jerry Brown holds a chart showing statewide average precipitation as he speaks during a news conference Jan. 17 in San Francisco in this file photo. He warned in the annual State of the State speech before the Legislature that the drought threatens to dampen the state's resurgence. JUSTIN SULLIVAN, GETTY IMAGES

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In this Jan. 14 file photo, a calf is presented at an auction at the 101 Livestock Market in Aromas, Calif. The state's worsening drought is forcing many ranchers to sell their cattle and other livestock because their pastures are too dry to feed them and it's getting too expensive to buy hay and other supplemental feed. California had only a fraction of its normal rainfall last year, leaving reservoirs and groundwater levels at record lows and prompting many cities to cut water usage. FILE: MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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The San Gabriel River moves through the dry upper reaches of San Gabriel Reservoir in the Angeles National Forest in this photo from Jan. 22 near Azusa. Now in its third straight year of drought conditions, California is experiencing its driest year on record. FILE: DAVID MCNEW, GETTY IMAGES

Hugh Beggs of Santa Rosa searches for coins in the middle of the Russian River in Healdsburg, taking advantage of the way-below-normal river flow. Seventeen rural communities are in danger of running out of water within four months, according to a list compiled by state officials. Wells are running dry or reservoirs are nearly empty in some communities. Others have long-running problems that predate the drought. The communities range from the area covered by the tiny Lompico County Water District in Santa Cruz County to the cities of Healdsburg and Cloverdale in Sonoma County.FILE: KENT PORTER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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